Compressor



Nov. 2, 1937. c. L. RAYFIELD 2,98,065

COMPRESSOR I Filed April 13, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l :E MEUYUR Nov. 2, 1937. c. L. RAYFIELD COMPRESSOR Filed April 13, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 QQ Q MN x N N W MN MN m fob NIH QQ m. 1 um Q w &w mm /\N\JND NR 1; N a @Q Q m \N Q M NH 1937. I c. L. RAYFIELD 2,098,065

COMPRESSOR Filed April 13, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 COMPRES S OR Filed April 13, 1936 4 Sheets-Shet 4 Patented Nov. 2, 1937 UNITED sTATEs COMPRESSOR Charles L. Rayfield, Chicago, Ill., assignor. to Ray Engineering Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 13, 1936, Serial No. 73,986 15 Claims. (Cl. 230-175) The present invention relates in general to improvements in compressors of the type utilized in connection with air conditioning apparatus, re-

' frigeration apparatus and the like, for pumping the cooling or refrigerant fluid.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a compressor of such construction that it maybe utilized for pumping high pressure refrigerants such as dichlorodifiuoromethane, methylchloride, ammonia and the like.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a compact, efiicient and low cost pumping unit for use in air conditioning, refrigeration and other apparatus of similar nature.

15 Another object is to provide a high speed, high pressure pump for refrigerant fluids, having an improved valve arrangement which is so constructed that valve slap and other noises are substantially eliminated.

2 A still furtherobject is to provide a pump wherein the pressure of the refrigerant may be utilized to force oil to the pumping parts, this oil operating to lubricate and seal the pump parts.

It is also an object to provide improved valve mechanism which will operate efficiently, when the pump is operated at high speed.

In accordance with the general features of the invention, it is proposed to provide a housing or casing having a driving shaft therein. Oscilao latably mounted cylinder" blocks containing pairs of cylinders are mounted on either side of the drive shaft,,the' cylinders of each pair being disposed on opposite sides of the cylinder block pivot. The cylinders are provided with reciprocable pistons, and the corresponding pistons of the oppositely disposed blocks are interconnected to form a set. Each setv of pistons is connected to the driving shaft through an eccentric, and provision is made for enablinglimited movement of the pistons axially of the driving shaft on the eccentric. The eccentrics not only reciprocate the pistons, but also cause oscillation of the cylinders.

Advantage is taken of the oscillatory movement of the cylinders to open and close intake and exhaust ports. a

An additional feature resides in the use of additional means for opening and closing the exhaust ports. In this connection a spring pressed valve is inserted in the exhaust port in such a manner that it' will be opened and closed in response, to the pressure in the cylinder.

The combined use of a spring pressed valve and a slide valve for cutting off the exhaust ports in i pecially advantageous in the case of a compressor that is to operate at high speed and which may be used for thepumping of high pressure refrigerants. With only a spring pressed valve, the valve would open when the fluid being pumped is being exhausted from the cylinder, and as soon as the piston would start on its intake stroke, the spring pressed valve would be closed and seated with considerable force due to the suction created by the piston. This results in valve slap and other operating noises which are objectionable, particularly in domestic installations. To overcome this condition, advantage is taken of the movement of the cylinder blocks to cut off the exhaust ports substantially at the end of the compression stroke of the piston. It will therefore be evident that the spring pressed valve will then close under the-force of its closing spring and will not produce the above-mentioned valve slap and other noises due to its closing. This arrangement of valves results in an extremely quiet operating compressor.

Other objects and advantages of the. present invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a single embodiment thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a compressor unit embodying the features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the compressor showing-the inlet and outlet connections for the fluid to be pumped;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken through the compressor substantially on theline III-III of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing the operative relationship of the pumping parts, taken substantially on line IV-IV ofFigure f1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing the manner in which the intake passageways are arranged in the compressor casing, taken substantially on line V-V ofFigure 1;

' Figure 6 is a view showing the details of mounting of the cylinder blocks;

Figure '7 is a fragmentary view showing the location of the exhaust and intake ports for each cylinder;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view having parts removed to show the spring pressed exhaust valve; and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view showing details of the spring pressed exhaust valve,

taken substantially on the line DI-IX of Figure 8. v

As shown on the drawings:

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed in Figure l a compressor unit comprising a compressor A which is directly connected to a driving motor B, this motor having a driving shaft it which is connected to a drive shaft 13 i of the compressor by means of a suitable coupling 12.

The compressor or pump comprises a housing or casing it for the pumping parts. This casing is substantially rectangular in shape and is provided on its top surface and one side with a plurality of spaced fins it which effect large exposed surfaces for radiating heat that is generated by the pumping parts during the pumping operation, thereby keeping the compressor cool.

The driving shaft l i is intermediately supported between the ends of the compressor housing in ball bearing supports l5 and H6. The side of the housing to which the driving motor is connected is provided with an opening ill for receiving therethrough a bearing supporting member l8.

The bearing supporting member is in the form of a circular plate which is apertured at l to receive the driving shaft therethrough. Around its peripheral margin are a plurality of spaced bolt holes for securing bolts 2!) by means of which it is secured to the casing.

Integrally formed on the inner side of the plate is an annular projection 2i defining a socket 22 which is open at its outer end to receive-therein the ball bearing assembly l6 and form a housing for the shaft seal:

The innermost end of the socket 22 is formed with an annular seating surface surrounding the shaft I I. This seating surface is provided with a circumferentially extending groove 23 which is disposed substantially midway between the inner and outer edges of the seating surface. The groove 23 is intersected at spaced points by transversely extending grooves 24 which extend from one edge of the seating surface to the other. Disposed within the socket 22 and surrounding the shaft II is an annular member 25 having its interior surface spaced relative to the shaft and deflected at its innermost end to form an inwardly extending flange 26. The outer surface of this flange is seated on the seating surface of member I 8. The

inner surface of the flange forms an abutment for a ring shaped packing member 21 of rubber or other resilient material. The ring 21 surrounds the shaft and is compressed by a follower 28 which is forced against the rubber by means of an ex pansion coil spring 29, one end of this spring engaging the follower and the other end being in engagement with the ball bearing assembly Hi. It will also be observed that the spring 29 will act to force the. seating surface of flange 26 against the seating surface on the member I8 and with this arrangement, oil which tends to move along the shaft will be prevented from travel past the member i8 by means of the packing member 21, whereas oil which tends to flow between the seating surfaces will be entrapped in the grooves and form an oil seal.

The housing l3 at its respective ends on either side of the driving shaft is provided with open ings 30 30. These openings are closed by end cover plates 3i and32 which are secured to the casing ends by means of bolts The cover plates 3| and 32 are similarly arranged to support an oscillatable cylinder block 3 5. The cylinder block is in general of figure 8 cross section and is provided at its center with aooaooe a longitudinally extending bore 35 adapted to receive therethrough a pivotal stud 36 which is integrally formed with and projects from the inner surface of the cover plate. At its inner end, this stud is provided with acontracted threaded end portion 3'7 for engagement with a nut 38. Beneath the nut is a spring washer 39 having radially extending sections of sufiicient length to extend beyondthe stud and engage the outermost side of the cylinder block. With this arrange ment the cylinder block is forced by the washer towards the associated cover plates so that the abutting surfaces of the cylinder block and cover plate are retained in tight sliding engagement.

Oppositely disposed on either side of the pivotal stud, the cylinder block is longitudinally bored to form open ended cylinders 40 and M. It will be noted that the innermost open ends of these cylinders terminate in the surface of the cylinder block which is in engagement with the inner surface of the cover plate.

As before stated, the cylinder block which is oscillatably mounted on the cover plate (ii is of the same general construction as the cylinder block on cover plate 32. Moreover, the stud 36 on cover plate 32 is in axial alignment with the stud 36 on cover plate 3|.

Referring to Figure 3, the corresponding cylinders lying on opposite sides of the drivingshaft i I are provided with a cooperatively associated piston in each case, the piston in the cylinders 40 being indicated at 42-42, and the pistons in cylinders 4l-4l being indicated at 43-43.

The pistons 4242 are rigidlyconnected to an eccentric ring 44 and extend in opposite direction from the ring with their axes in alignment. The pistons in the corresponding sets of cylinders therefore form a set of pistons which are reciprocated by means of an eccentric cam or disk 45 in the case of the eccentric ring 44. In a similar manner, the pistons 43-43 are associated with an eccentric ring 46 which is operatively associated with an eccentric cam or disk 41.

In each case the eccentric ring is mounted on the associated eccentric disk in a manner to enable the ring to slide in an axial direction relative to the disk. In this arrangement, with the eccentric disks 45 and 41 being oppositely disposed, the sets of pistons will be alternately and oppositely reciprocated and the cylinder blocks on the opposite sides of the driving shaft will be oscillated in corresponding directions. It will be noted however that, for example, when one of the pistons of a set is on the suction stroke, the other piston of the set will be on the compression stroke. Also that the oscillatory move ment of the cylinder blocks will be in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the pistons, and that during. the operation of the compressor, there will be slight axial movement of the eccentric ring relative to its associated eccentric disk.

Each cylinder is provided with an intake port 48 and an exhaust port opening 49, these ports being disposed in the associated cover plates 3! or 32 as the case may be.

The exhaust port 49 is centrally disposed on a disk insert member 50 which is disposed in the inner wall of the associated cover plate with its outer surface flush with the inner surface of the cover plate. This is clearly shown in Fi ure 9. The under surface of the disk insert 50 is slightly dished as shown at 5|. cooperatively associated with the disk is a valve plate 52 which is retained for axial limited movement in a counterbored portion 53 of the cover plate. This valve is provided on its under surface with a guide stem 54 around which there is disposed one end of an expansion spring 55. The other end of this spring extends into' a socket portion 56 and abuts the lower end of the socket so that the valve plate 52 is normally forced to seating position against the under surface of the disk insert 50. Circumferentially spaced around the valve plate are bypass bores 51 so that when the valve is in opened position, the fluid may readily pass from above the valve to a position below the valve, where there is connected an exhaust duct 58.

The exhaust ducts 58 of the two cylinders mounted on the respective cover plates are carried to a common outlet connection 59.

The intake ports 48 of the two cylinders on each cover plate are connected to a commonintake passageway 60. Referring to Figures 6 and 7, it will be noted that the intake and exhaust ports 48 and 49, respectively, are disposed in the line of travel of the open ends of the cylinders and that these ports are spaced apart such a distance that when the cylinders are in central position as shown in full linesin Figure 6, both ports are entirely cut ofi from the cylinders. As the cylinders are oscillated to the position llia,

for the cylinder 40, communication is established of the fluid in the cylinder, until the cylinder is again returned to midposition. Just before the cylinder reaches midposition and Just as the piston is reaching the end of its compression stroke, the exhaust portis closed due to the movement of the cylinder block. It will therefore be evident that as the piston in the cylinder starts on its intake stroke, in which instancethe intake port is still disconnected relative to the cylinder, there will be no back suction through the exhaust port tending to cause valve slap of the espring pressed valve. exhaust port having been closed, the pressure of On the other hand, the

, and 52 which are carried through the wall of the housing to a common intake passageway 63. The inlet passageway 63 is in communication with an inlet connection fitting 6% which is secured to the top of the compressor housing by means of bolts 65. This fitting has an end adapted for connection into the refrigerating system, and is also provided with an emergency The common exhaust connections 59-59 in the end plates 3i and 32 are respectively connected by means of conduits 68 and 69 to the opposite ends of a separator compartment Ill which is formed by a portion of the compressor housing. The separator compartment is for the pur- .oil which may be in the refrigerant will gather on these baflies and be dropped down into the crank case. Between the baiiles H and I2, there is arranged in the top of the separator compartment an outlet passageway 13 which provides communication for the compressed fluid from the interior of the compressor housing, to an exhaust fitting 14 which is of similar construction to the inlet fitting 64, the exhaust fitting being secured by means of bolts I5 and having a connection at one end IS-by means of which the fltting may be connected into the system. Similarly, this fitting is provided with an emergency cut-off, valve 11.

In practice, the compressor housing would be filled substantially half full of lubricant, ,and since theportion of the housing above the lubricant contains refrigerant under pressure, the pressure of this refrigerant will force the lubricant to oil and seal the operating parts of the pump.

Although in the present description and as dis closed on the drawings, the features of this invention have been applied to a four-cylinder compressor. It is readily evident that the invention may be utilized in compressors having a greater number of cylinders, if desired.

- On the side of the housing where the drive shaft is connected, the housing is provided with an annular flange or shoulder 18 which will enable connection of a tubular casing 19 at one end thereto. This casing surrounds the bearing plate 18 and the" coupling l2 between the driving motor and the compressor, the other end of the tubular casing being suitably connected to the motor housing.

From the foregoing description, it is thought that the operation of the compressor will be fully arrangement whereby valve slap and other noises with compressors operating at high speed; and

in which the pressure of the refrigerant within the casing of the compressor is utilized to forcibly cause lubrication and sealing of the pump parts by the lubricant in the casing.

It is of course to be understood that although I have described in detail a single embodiment of my invention, the invention is not to be thus limited, but only insofar as defined by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim as myinvention:

1. In a device of the character described, a cylinder mountedfor orbital movement, said cylinder having its longitudinal axis parallel to the axis of the orbit, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, means to actuate said piston and move said cylinder, and outlet and inlet ports to said cylinder operative in response to the movement of said cylinder.

2. In a device of the character described, a cylinder mounted for bodily movement, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, and means for moving said cylinder in such manner that all points of its longitudinal axis have the same direction of movement and velocity.

3. In a device of the character described, a cylinder mounted for oscillatory movement in which the successive positions of its longitudinal axis are in parallel relation, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, and means for oscillating said cylinder and reciprocating said piston.

4. A compressor comprising a cylinder mounted for oscillatory movement, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, a rotatable shaft, and an eccentric connection between said shaft and piston for reciprocating said piston, said piston being mounted for movement axially of said eccentric.

5. A compressor comprising a cylinder mounted for oscillatory movement, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, and means for reciprocating said piston in the cylinder and simultaneously oscillating the piston and cylinder as a unit in a direction to maintain the successive positions of their longitudinal axes during oscillatory movement thereof in parallel relation.

6. In 'a compressor a cylinder and a piston mounted for relative reciprocable movement in an axial direction and combined oscillatory movement as a unit in a direction wherein the successive positions of their longitudinal axes will be maintained in parallel relation.

7. A compressor comprising an eccentric member, a pair of oscillatably mounted cylinders respectively disposed on either side of said member with their longitudinal axes in alignment, pistons respectively associated with said cylinders, and a rigid connection between said pistons associated with said eccentric, whereby said pistons are reciprocated and said cylinders oscillated.

8. A compressor comprising a pair of oscillatably mounted cylinders respectively disposed with their longitudinal axes in alignment, pistons respectively associated with said cylinders, a rigid connection between said pistons, driving means for reciprocating said pistons and simultaneously oscillating said cylinders in the same direction, whereby one of said pistons will be on its intake stroke when the other is on its exhaust stroke, and valve means associated with each cylinder operative in response to the movement of the associated cylinders.

9. In a compressor, a cylinder, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, said piston and cylinder being mounted for oscillatory movement as a unit during the pumping operation, the center line of the cylinder being at all times parallel to the axis of oscillatory movement thereof, and intake and exhaust ports associated with said cylinder, said ports being opened and closed in response to the movement of saidcylinder.

10. In a pumping device, a casing, a cylinder block pivoted on said casing, said casing and block having seating surfaces of engagement, a cylinder defined by said block having its axis at all times substantially parallel to the pivotal axis of the block and spaced therefrom, one end of the cylinder opening into the seating surface of the block, a reciprocable piston in said cyl inder, means for simultaneously reciprocating accepts the piston and oscillating the cylinder block, and inlet and exhaust ports in said casing having open ends disposed in the line of travel of said open end of the cylinder, whereby said ports are opened and closed in response to the oscillatory movement of said block and cylinder.

11. In a compressor, a housing, a drive shaft in the housing, confronting pivotally mounted blocks on either side of the shaft, each block defining a pair of cylinders disposed on opposite sides of the block pivot, reciprocable pistons in said cylinders, each piston in one-of said blocks being connected to a corresponding piston in the other block to form a set, an eccentric connection between the shaft and each set of pistons, whereby the pistons are reciprocated and the cylinder blocks oscillated, and inlet and outlet ports for said cylinders.

12. In a compressona housing, a drive shaft in the housing, confrontingpivotally mounted blocks on either side of the shaft, each block defining a pair of cylinders disposed on opposite sides of the block pivot, reciprocable pistons in said cylinders, each piston in' one of said blocks being connected to a corresponding piston in the other block to form a set, eccentric connections between the shaft and sets of pistons for reciprocating the pistons and oscillating the cylinders, said connections being arranged to enable limited movement of the sets of pistons axially of said shaft, and inlet and outlet ports for said cylinders.

, 13. In a fluid compressor, a casing adapted to contain a lubricant under pressure, a cylinder in the casing mounted for oscillatory movement, said cylinder having an open end in sliding engagement with the casing, inlet and outlet ports in the line of travel of said open end, said ports being operative inresponse to the movement of the cylinder, a piston operatively associated with the cylinder, and spring means forcing the cylinder towards the casing, said spring being augmented by the lubricant under pressure and the lubricant acting to lubricate and seal the cylinsaid bores, laterally extending flanges defining extensions of the block seating surface, and inlet and outlet ports to the cylinders controlled by said flanges, said flanges being subject to the pressure of said lubricant, whereby the seating surfaces are maintained in pressure engagement and the parts lubricated and sealed.

15. In a compressor, a housing, a drive shaft in the housing, confronting pivotally mounted cylinders respectively disposed on either side of the shaft with their axes in alignment, a piston associated with each cylinder, a rigid connection between said pistons, whereby said pistons form a stud, an eccentric connection between said shaft and said pistons, whereby the piston of one cylinder is moved on its intake stroke as the other is moved on its exhaust stroke, and inlet and outlet ports for said cylinders.

CHARLES L. RAYFIELD. 

